Not Another Boring Day
by broadwaybookworm617
Summary: The year: 1899. The city: New York. The girl: Winnie Foster. Winnie Foster has finally escaped New Hampshire, taking a trip to New York. She's seventeen now and is ready to grow up. Upon arriving, she meets Jack Kelly and his band of newsies. But little does she know that one of them has a secret, with a strong connection to her own.
1. Today is the Day

**Hello Hello! I have resurfaced! This idea came to mind when I realized that Jack Kelly and Winnie Foster are the same age! I loved the fact that both Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Crutchie, OBC of Newsies) and Ben Cook (Race, 1st Nat. Tour of Newsies) were both in the OBC of Tuck Everlasting. So in this story, Crtuchie is based on AKB and Race is based on BTC. I really love both of these shows, so this first chapter was extremely fun to write.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies or Tuck Everlasting. Newsies belongs to Disney, Tuck belongs to Natalie Babbitt and whoever the musical belongs to (I'm not entirely sure). Also, most of the dialog Winnie overhears is from Newsies, so that is not mine either.**

* * *

 **Winnie's POV**

Today was the day.

I stepped off of the train onto the platform. I walked the length of it, before heading into the terminal.

The crowded space smelled horrid; a mixture of manure and sweat. I spotted no one close to my age. Actually, I spotted no children at all.

I pushed my way through the crowd of people. I broke the mob and left the building.

I was on a new adventure. No one knew my past, or how I could have never died.

They didn't know the story of the Tucks.

My heart clenched as I walked down the streets of New York. There were people walking down the streets with almost nothing on. The elderly limping along, using every ounce of energy to stay alive.

 _Was this what Mother was protecting me from?_ I had never seen anything like this, being trapped in Treegap.

The world outside was complicated. I had learned that when I was eleven.

I finally saw some children. I walked up to them.

There were roughly fifteen boys, all lined up in a row. One walked up to a man in a bowler hat with a mustache.

"Mornin' Weasel." That's a weird name. "Did ya miss me?"

"My name is Wei-sel." Bowler Hat Man said.

I glanced away from him for a moment.

"I'll take the usual."

The usual what?

"A hundred papes for the wise guy."

Oh. These were newsboys. I watched as a few more got their papers.

Two boys walked up next. The younger one couldn't have been more than ten or eleven-maybe even seven.

The older one began talking to Weisel. He left and began to count his stash. "Excuse me? I paid for twenty, but you only gave me nineteen!"

The first boy to get his papers walked over to the other and grabbed his stack.

Suddenly, the first boy said, "He's right, you only gave him nineteen."

Then, he gave some more money to Weisel. "Give him another fifteen."

"I don't want more papes," the second boy exclaimed.

Their discussion continued, and some other boys joined in. I watched the scene unfold, before jumping in.

I walked up to the first boy. "Excuse me? I'd like to buy a paper."

He stared at me.

"Well, are you going to take the money?"

"Ye-Yes! The name's Jack Kelly. Thank you, miss."

"You're welcome, Mr. Kelly. Winnie Foster." I stuck out my hand.

He shook it, but not before spitting into his own. I felt the saliva hit my own hand, then quickly wiped it on my dress.

"Miss Foster, did anyone ever tell you that you have gorgeous eyes?" Jack asked, handing me the newspaper.

"No," I stated matter-of-factly, giving him the money.

A boy with a crutch hobbled over. "Hiya Jack, who's ya friend?"

I had to take a second glance and steady myself before speaking again.

He looked exactly like Jesse.

"This here's Winnie Foster," Jack replied, before smiling back at me.

"Hello," I said, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach. Did Jesse leave Treegap that day and come here? Did he change his name? And what had happened to his leg?

Jack must've noticed my staring at him and the other boy.

"Sorry there Winnie, this here's Crutchie, he's been a newsie since he was-what-fourteen?"

Crutchie nodded. Good, it wasn't Jesse. My stomach calmed a bit.

I looked to the boy sitting on the cart behind Crutchie and Jack.

He looked vaguely familiar.

"And who might you be?"

He pulled the cigar out of his mouth. "The name's Race. I overhead that you'se name is Winnie?"

"Yes."

He climbed off of the cart.

I remembered who he was. I couldn't speak. Or comprehend much.

My mind rushed back to the day. August 1st, 1893. The fair.

I rushed up to him. "You were the juggler!"

He looked dumbfounded.

"I don't know what you'se talking about Miss Winnie," he said, before sticking his cigar back in his mouth, off to one side.

"Yes you do! Treegap, New Hampshire? The Man in the Yellow Suit? The magic spring?"

The other boys were staring at me now. Race pulled me away from them.

"Can ya please shut up, Winnie?"

I paused, before grabbing the cigar out of his mouth. "Do you even smoke this? Or is it just to make you look tough. Because I know your secret, newsboy! Put that on a paper!"

I watched him stare, before turning around and walking down the street, triumphantly, Race's cigar still in my hand.

"Could ya bring that to the Lodging House?" I heard him yell.

"Not a chance!" I yelled back.

"Well, it looks like you'se never gettin' that back." Jack said.

And he was right.

* * *

 **Race's POV**

That girl just stole my cigar. How dare she?

I turned around. Jack and the rest of the boys were looking at me.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothin'. She's talkin' nonsense."

They seemed to buy that.

Luckily, Jack turned his attention from me to those two new boys.

My mind drifted away. How the hell did she find me?

I didn't know.

What was I even doing?

I was traveling with the fair for at least a year. The Man in the Yellow Suit had taken me in, and hired me on as an eighteen year old. I had just left my family, and the fair had stopped upstate, where I had been living.

When we stopped in Treegap, I thought it was the most boring place in the world. That is, until I found out about the spring.

When everything went down with the Tucks, I took a drink from the spring.

I still can't figure out how Jack and the other boys haven't noticed me aging. I guess they all just think I've hit my growing limit. Which I have, but not in the way they think.

When I first became a newsie, I thought that Crutchie looked like Jesse Tuck. I saw it in Winnie's eyes when she saw him.

She's changed a lot since I last saw her. She's gotten taller, more mature.

Her eyes haven't changed, though. They're still the same blue.

Back then, I felt bad for her. She had found adventure and possibly love, and had lost it all.

I somehow felt part of the cause. And I hated myself for it.

"Race? Anybody home?" Romeo asked, snapping his fingers in my face. "Seems like that pretty goil got to you."

"Neva' mind. She means nothin' ta me." I grumbled.

I shoved my papes in my bag and walked down the street.

Today was the day.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Please review and follow! You can find me on Twitter at broadwaybookworm617 ( bwaybookworm617)! Until next time!**


	2. The Waiting is Over

**Sorry that I have been so inactive! I had my musical and then immediately after that I got cast in another show, but it's spring break right now so I am doing a quick little update. Next week is tech week, and then it calms down a bit. I might get another update sometime in May, but it's very unlikely. Once the second week or so of June comes around, I should have lots of free time. Since I last updated this, I met the one and only Ben Tyler Cook and can say that he is extremely sweet. I saw the Newsies movie and cried my eyes out. Clay Thomson (my Spot when I saw Newsies) followed me on my Twitter account ( bway_bookworm617). I started a Newsies High School AU focusing on Crutchie, which I am in the process of planning and writing, and I joined a Newsies group chat on Instagram. That was a lot of updates, sorry guys. The disclaimer from Chapter 1 still stands and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Race's POV**

The waiting was over.

"So, what was that about?" Jack asked.

"I don't wanna talk 'bout it."

I sat in my bunk. Jack was sitting across from me, on an empty one.

"Fine. I'll leave ya be." He jumped down, his feet hitting the floor with a soft thud.

I rolled onto my side, staring at the wall across from me.

Romeo tapped me on my shoulder. "Race, that pretty goil's back. She's at the front door, sittin' on the stoop."

I groaned before sitting up. I crawled out of bed and walked to the front of the musty building that I called home.

My hand lingered on the door, before I opened it reluctantly.

The redhead looked up at me.

"What're ya doin' Winnie?"

She shrugged. "Sitting here. Dreaming."

"Dreamin' 'bout what?"

I sat down next to her.

"The old days. With Jesse," she whispered softly.

"Oh. Well, you know he never died."

"I know," she said, her voice breaking. "That's what makes it hurt."

I didn't know how to approach this. Yeah, I was a ladies' man, but those girls weren't bawling bags of emotions that I had a secret with. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her forever.

Get out of ya head. She's seven years younger than you, dammit!

"Winnie?"

"Yes?"

"Jesse did say to come find him, right?" I asked, making sure I had my facts straight.

"No," she muttered. "He said to stay with him. And to go to the spring. And drink."

"Well, you'se seventeen, right?"

"Yep. The same age as him." Winnie spoke, her voice littered with disappointment.

"Why don't we go?"

"Go where?" my companion asked.

"The spring." I stated.

"No, no, no. I just escaped from Treegap. I can't go back."

"Okay. Um, how about you stay here? In the city."

"Well, I do want an adventure."

I offered her my hand. "Come on."

She grabbed my hand, and I pulled her to a standing position.

We walked away from the Lodging House.

As we walked the crowded streets, she asked "What's it like to live here? In a city that never sleeps? You know Treegap. The only thing that town did was sleep!"

I laughed. "It's amazing. You know, except for the fact that I can barely survive."

She stopped dead in her tracks. "You can barely survive?" Her voice was a broken-hearted whisper.

I nodded. "I'se got it handled. Don't you worry."

She looked at me.

I realized that I was still holding her hand. I gave it a slight squeeze.

"Where exactly are we going, Race?"

"You'll see."

She shrugged. I took it as an opportunity to drop her hand.

"Do you by any chance have my cigar?"

"Um, I think." She dug around in her bag, pulling it out about a minute after.

"We're here."

She looked up at the building. I had to admit, it wasn't very pretty lookin'.

But Medda was a friend of ours, and I thought Winnie might like to meet her.

"What is this place?"

"A theater. Miss Medda's, to be exact."

I opened the door. As we walked in, Medda shouted, "Well, if it isn't Racetrack Higgins!"

"Ya know I'se shortened it to Race, Ms. Medda!" I called back. I led Winnie to the stage, where Medda was standing.

When we reached her, I climbed onto the stage, pulling Winnie up after me.

"And who's this beautiful young lady?"

"This is Winnie. Winnie Foster."

"Hi. Nice to meet you Ms. Medda."

"And you, Miss Winnie." She leaned over to me. "She looks like a good one, keep a hold of her and don't break her heart, okay?"

I felt the heat spread through my cheeks. Luckily, Winnie was wandering around the stage, taking it all in.

I stood silently as she ran around, her face holding the same expression as that day at the fair.

And I loved it.

* * *

 **Winnie's POV**

I walked back to Race. He was deep in conversation with Medda.

I noticed that he had some color creeping up his face, but I ignored it. He couldn't like me. Why would he?

"What's goin' on here tonight?" Race asked.

"Well, the Bowery Beauties are doing a little show, after that not much. I think Jack's comin' to do some paintin'."

"Can we watch?" I asked. I kind of wanted to spend more time with Race.

"Of course, honey. You can watch from one of the boxes."

Race led me up to one of the theater's private boxes. I sat down in a seat, my companion plopping down next to me.

We talked as the house filled.

"So, how's that grandmother of yours?"

"Dead."

"Oh. Well did you ever see Jesse after that day?"

I paused. "No. I didn't."

"Sorry, Winnie, I know how much he meant to you."

"It's fine. I would be fine without seeing Jesse again, I mean, I knew I would never be able to be with him. Once I returned, my mother didn't let me out for- well, six years."

"You've been trapped in that house since 1891?"

"Yes. I thought… nevermind, it's stupid."

"You thought Crutchie was Jesse," Race said plainly.

I let my head fall. "Yes."

"Winnie, it's perfectly fine. I thought the same thing."

"But they look exactly the same. It's freaky."

He nodded. "I don't know why. I mean, I've had to teach myself the ways of the spring. There were countless trips to Treegap."

"How come I never saw you? Oh, yeah. I was trapped in the hell I called my home."

The blonde chuckled. "I passed your house more than once, Miss Foster."

"So, you knew I lived there?"

"I always had."

"Yeah, because that's not creepy."

The house lights began to flicker and that was the last sentence I said to him before the show started.

When the lights came up, I glanced at Race. He just sat there, in awe.

It was extremely adorable.

"Race, come on, we have to go."

I pulled him up by the sleeve and dragged him out of the building. As we walked back to the Lodging House, he asked, "Where are you staying?"

I froze. I was supposed to go to a hotel and get a room. But I had forgotten to.

"I don't have anywhere to stay. I forgot." My words were choked.

"I got you. Let's go back to the Lodging House. I'm sure Jack, you, and me can figure somethin' out."

"Thank you."

A chill went through my body.

It was the twentieth of July, but the buildings of New York shaded the streets.

We reached the Lodging House and the boy from earlier opened the door.

"Hey, Romeo." Race said.

"Hi, Race. What's going on?"

"Winn needs a place to stay."

"And ya think she's gonna get it here?"

"I was figuring we'd talk to Kloppman."

"Yeah but still."

He walked in and Romeo held me at the door.

"Jus' hold on. He'll come back to get you if Kloppman agrees."

I sat on the stoop. Race appeared at the door.

"Kloppman says that you can stay here."

"Thank goodness."

I walked through the door and was met with the face of at least twenty-five boys.

"Who's the pretty goil?"

Race smiled beside me. "Winnie Foster."

* * *

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


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